Unravel
by SomeoneYou'reNot
Summary: When Bella Swan decides to move to Forks, Washington to be with her father, a skilled criminal investigator, she soon discovers that life with her father isn't quite what she expected. Factor in the gorgeous but infuriating Special Agent-turned-babysitter Edward Cullen, and a group of vengeful American mobsters, and pretty soon finishing senior year is the least of Bella's worries.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing except for the plot.**

 **I previously posted this story before taking it down because I didn't have the time to work on it, but now I've made time and decided I want to go through with it. I've pretty much reinvented the story (though not completely), as I was dissatisfied with the original.**

 **Anyways, a warm welcome to new readers and hello again to the old! My sincerest apologies for any confusion.**

 **I hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **UNRAVEL**

 **-x.X.x-**

 **Chapter 1:**

I stared at the bustling crowds of people at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, wondering what on earth I was doing here.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Renee asked from behind me. I flinched in surprise, turning towards my mother. I hadn't realized that she returned from the washroom. She had been watching me, her blue eyes full of worry.

I smiled at my mother as convincingly as I could. "I'm sure."

She sighed, wringing her hands nervously. "I'm just worried-"

"Nothing's going to happen to me, mom." I assured her calmly. "Charlie is more than capable of protecting me."

My father, Charlie Swan, had been a criminal investigator for nearly 25 years.

When my mother got remarried this summer, my father made me an offer I couldn't refuse; spend my final year of high school with him in Washington. I had only a handful of friends in Phoenix, and though I would miss my mother terribly, she didn't need me to take care of her anymore. Besides, she and her new husband, Phil, deserved time together as a newly married couple without a teenage daughter in the way. So I said yes to Charlie.

Renee frowned and crossed her arms. "I know he is. It's just... You need to be careful. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. If you ever had to go through what I've been through..." She trailed off, shuddering.

My mother was referring to my father's biggest and most dangerous case, The Volturi Operation- which had taken place during their marriage.

The Volturi was an American organized crime ring based in Los Angeles and led by the notorious Felix Upyr. Their name came from the fact that most of the mob's members originated from Volterra, Italy. They had been guilty of murder, extortion, racketeering and trafficking, among other things.

Right before his imprisonment, Felix Upyr managed to discover my father's true identity; my father used to work under the alias "Billy Burke". Once Felix discovered who my father was, he kidnapped my mother and held her hostage in an abandoned building near our home in Downey. Charlie arrived just in time to save my mother and capture Felix, but the damage had been done.

Fearing for her life and mine, my mother filed for a divorce and fled from Downey like a bat out of hell. She settled down in Phoenix, Arizona, giving birth to me a few months later.

"I'm sorry mom, I know." I murmured apologetically. "You have a right to be worried given what you've been through, but-"

"But you'll be okay." My mother sighed, offering me a small smile. "Your safety is being taken care of."

"Exactly." I replied, grinning. "Charlie will do everything he can to keep me safe, you know that."

I strung my bag over my shoulder, Renee following me as I made my way to the flight check-in.

This was where we parted ways.

My mother quickly rested her hand on my arm to stall me from joining the line. "You _really_ don't have to do this, you know." She told me.

I drew her in for a hug, squeezing my eyes shut to prevent my tears from overflowing. "I want to." I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

After a few seconds I let go of my mother. I took a long last look at her. At her light brown hair, big blue eyes, her face full of laugh lines. She carried with her a sense of youthfulness and joy. She was my other half, my best friend. She was erratic and scatterbrained, but I loved her nonetheless.

"Don't forget to pick up your pink blouse from the dry cleaners." I reminded her, making her laugh.

"This is why I need you here." She said fondly.

I gave her a bittersweet smile. "But you _don't_ , mom."

"Yes I do!" She protested. She looked at me sadly, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're my baby girl…"

I felt my will to leave waver at the sight of her tears. Seeing her like this made me panic. Could I just leave her here alone?

Phil made his way over to the two of us, reminding me that my mother _wasn't_ alone. He handed Renee the vanilla bean latte as requested and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him gratefully. Simply seeing them together reinforced my resolve.

Phil brought out a spark in my mother that I had never seen before. He was here to stay, and I knew that he was going to take great care of her.

I smiled at the two of them and wiped a stray tear from my mother's cheek.

"A little change will do us _both_ some good." I murmured to her softly.

I didn't know who needed to hear it more: her, or _me._

Renee nodded and dabbed at her eyes, sniffling and laughing embarrassedly. "Listen, if ever you want to come back home, you call us and we'll come get you, okay baby?"

I laughed. "Okay. Bye mom, I love you."

"I love you too." She sighed, smiling at me tenderly.

I looked up at Phil. "You take care of her, okay?"

He grinned and nodded, pressing his lips to the top of my mom's head. "I will. Goodbye Bella, and good luck."

"Thanks, Phil. Goodbye, you two." I smiled at my mother and stepfather sadly and handed my ticket to the ticket operator to scan.

I passed through the entrance to security and waved one last goodbye to Renee and Phil.

I felt their eyes on me as I walked through security with a wistful sigh.

 _Here goes nothing._

 **-x.X.x-**

When my father invited me to come live with him in Washington, I had been understandably excited.

Despite the circumstances of their divorce, Charlie and Renee were on good terms. My father was allowed to visit me in Jacksonville every year, and after I turned 13, he suggested I fly to wherever he was. He thought it would be good for me to travel, and he paid for most of the tickets so my mother never complained.

I had always enjoyed my visits with Charlie; we had similar personalities, and he was protective and fatherly in a quiet way. We shared a very strong bond.

The limitation on the time I got to spend with my father was terrible. Never mind my parents' divorce- when your father is an important criminal investigator, you eventually learn that apprehending criminals and solving cases is so consuming (both of the mind and of time) that one can forget that they even have a family.

So when Charlie offered me the extra bedroom in the house he was living in, how could I say no? The timing was perfect, the opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime, and I would get to spend an unconstrained amount of time with my father.

The only downfall was that Charlie was settled down in a town I had never even heard of before- in fact, I'm sure hardly anyone even knew it existed- a place called _Forks._ This small, utensil-named town was surrounded by nothing but endless forest and some parts ocean, and it had a population a little over 3500.

It was one of those towns where generation after generation of families had been born and raised there, and _everyone_ knew each other. Not to mention, the town also held one of the highest records of rainfall per year in all of America.

It was enough to almost completely eclipse my excitement, but not enough to prevent me from moving.

And now here I was, navigating my way through Seattle-Tacoma airport pushing a cart loaded with my bags and trying to find the pickup area. Hundreds of people milled about, passports in hand, saddled with various quantities of luggage. A family of four dressed entirely in floral-patterned shirts, cargo shorts and Birkenstocks passed by me, excited smiles on their faces and leis around their necks. There was no guessing where they were headed.

I couldn't find a payphone to call my father, but when I made it to the pickup lot there was a sleek black car waiting patiently for me, just as Charlie had promised.

I exhaled in relief, excited to see my father again after so long.

But when the driver's door opened, I was surprised to see that it was not my father who stepped out of the vehicle; but an extremely attractive man – possibly the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life.

He couldn't possibly be here to pick _me_ up.

The man was tall and clearly very fit. His bronze hair was messy, and an angular jaw, sharp cheekbones and straight nose defined his face. Thick, dark lashes framed the most mesmerizing emerald eyes I had ever seen.

He seemed young; probably in his mid- to late twenties, but he carried himself with a sureness and mystery that made any assumption of his age questionable.

I was about to turn away when he began to approach me. His face was expressionless yet his eyes remained intense and completely focused on my own.

I blushed at his attention, feeling slightly self-conscious.

The beautiful man cleared his throat. "Isabella Swan?"

His voice did not disappoint. It was smooth like velvet, and deep, almost melodic even- I thought I was going to melt right there and then.

There was a pause, and I realized that he was waiting for a response or some kind of acknowledgement. I snapped out of my daze, blushing lightly. "Um yes, that's me. Bella, actually. I um, prefer Bella…" I trailed off awkwardly.

He nodded at me before flipping out his badge and showing me his ID. "I'm Special Agent Cullen. Welcome to Washington."

 **-x.X.x-**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing except for the plot.**

* * *

 **UNRAVEL**

 **-x.X.x-**

 **Chapter 2:**

"Welcome to Washington." He said, though his voice sounded bereft of warmth or well, _anything_ really.

I glanced at the FBI symbol and the small photo of him but he closed and stowed the ID before I got a chance to read his first name.

I looked back at Agent Cullen, wondering why my father hadn't come. It wasn't like Charlie to employ the use of someone as important as a Special Agent when it came to small things like picking me up from an airport.

"You seem confused." Agent Cullen noted, taking my heavy bags and lifting them effortlessly.

"I assumed that my father would be picking me up," I replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

"He sent me." He simply stated, opening the trunk of the car to stow my luggage.

 _That kind of takes the edge off of the disappointment_ , I thought to myself, admiring the way his muscles strained against the sleeves of his black button down shirt as he lifted my bags. He must have women throwing themselves at him daily.

Agent Cullen slammed the trunk closed and opened the passenger door of the car for me. "Get in."

I climbed in quickly; he was very intimidating.

The interior of the car was as lavish as the exterior, with fine leather seats and a state of the art stereo system.

Agent Cullen closed the door after me and climbed into the driver's seat. The air was rich with the smell of his cologne. It was enticingly musky and woody, but sweet and leathery. It was perfect.

I glanced at his side-profile as he drove out of the airport pick-up. A hint of stubble darkened his jawline and there were slight bags beneath his eyes but he was still impossibly handsome. It was extremely hard to believe that the man sitting next to me was even real.

As soon as we left the lot, the drizzle that was falling from the grey sky increased to full-fledged pouring rain.

 _Goddamn it,_ I thought, sighing unhappily.

"What's wrong?" Agent Cullen asked, though he didn't sound all that interested to know.

"Nothing." I answered quickly. The last thing I wanted was for him to think that I was a grouch. Although it shouldn't have really mattered, considering I hardly knew the guy.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow without saying anything.

"The rain." I told him wearily. "I can't stand it."

Agent Cullen's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized me. "You chose a strange place to live in if you don't like the rain."

I opened my mouth then closed it- not knowing how to reply.

"So… you work with my father." I stated, changing the subject.

"Yes." He answered briefly, not taking his eyes of the road.

"Where is he?" I asked curiously.

"At the house."

I nodded awkwardly.

"Is he busy?"

"Presumably." Agent Cullen replied; eyes still focused ahead.

"He can become incredibly engrossed in his cases." I stated understandably. "But you probably already knew that…"

Agent Cullen's frankness and lack of eye contact when I spoke to him was incredibly off-putting. He treated me as though I was irrelevant, and whether it was intentional or not, it made me feel crappy; as though I was having a one-sided conversation. I understood that he was staying attentive while driving, but a small part of me felt as though maybe he was deliberately not acknowledging me.

"Do you have a cell phone I could borrow?" I asked Agent Cullen.

"Why?"

I sighed, starting to lose patience. "To give my father a call. I couldn't find a payphone and I promised I would call when I landed."

Agent Cullen kept one hand on the wheel while he pulled out a slim black cell phone from his pocket. "Work or home?" He inquired, finally looking at me with the full force of those gorgeous green eyes.

"Uh," I hesitated; his gaze was so unsettling.

"Well?" He said impatiently.

"Are you always this hostile?" I asked him before I could stop myself.

Agent Cullen stared at me, a bewildered look on his face. "I beg your pardon?"

"I just…" I bit my lip.

 _Shit. I had to say_ something.

"Look," I started, swallowing uneasily. "I don't know you. And I get it, my dad sent you on an unnecessary errand to pick up his teenage daughter. But I've done nothing to antagonize you, yet you haven't exactly been the most pleasant person in the world."

I stared at Agent Cullen and he stared back at me, his brows furrowed. We scrutinized each other until he focused his gaze back on the road. After a few moments passed, I sighed and relented; clearly he had nothing to say. I shouldn't have spoken up.

"Just call my dad's regular number. He hates it when I call his work phone." I muttered.

Agent Cullen nodded distractedly and slid his nimble fingers across the screen of his touch phone. He had long, slim fingers, I observed. Like those of a skilled pianist.

"Detective Swan? It's Agent Cullen." He paused listening to the other end of the line.

"I have your daughter here, sir." _Pause_. "Yes, she's fine." _Pause_. "My apologies, she said she needed to call you." _Pause_. "Sure."

Agent Cullen handed me his cell.

I accepted it reluctantly and lifted the phone to my ear. "Hey Dad."

" _Bella, everything okay?"_ Charlie asked. He sounded vaguely preoccupied.

"Yeah. You told me to call you when I landed, remember?"

" _That's right._ " Charlie cleared his throat, his voice sounding stronger. _"Sorry about that, I was a little distracted."_

"It's okay." I answered, chewing on my bottom lip. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Agent Cullen glance at me briefly, his face darkening before he looked away.

He was so _strange._

" _So, uh, how are you and Agent Cullen getting along?_ " Charlie asked me.

"Yeah, about that," I paused. "An FBI agent?" I knew it was a little callous of me to talk about Agent Cullen while he was sitting right beside me, but the fact that he was even here was bizzare. To my knowledge Charlie only called upon FBI agents for important cases. He typically worked with the police within the jurisdiction, or criminal investigators similar to himself.

Agent Cullen glanced over at me again.

" _Uh yes, Agent Cullen_ _is working this case with me._ "

Charlie sounded a little too innocent.

 _"And…why_ is that?" I asked him.

" _I'll explain everything when you get home, Bells... Just be patient, all right?"_

I frowned. His new tone was unsettling. "Okay, sure."

Charlie cleared his throat uneasily. " _I'm glad that you're here, Bella."_

"Me too, dad."

There was an awkward pause before Charlie cleared his throat again.

" _The two of you_ are _getting along, right?"_

I looked over at Agent Cullen.

"Um, I guess?"

" _He's a pretty no-nonsense kind of man."_ Charlie mused, noticing the hesitation in my voice.

"That's the understatement of the century." I replied. Bone-dry and void of friendliness, is more like it.

" _Well he's a good guy. One of the best agents out there, actually."_

"Really?" I muttered skeptically.

 _"You'll warm up to him eventually."_ Charlie said, chuckling.

I highly doubted that.

"Well, if you say so."

 _"Listen Bella, I've got to go. I'll talk to you more once you get here."_

I sighed, I was impatient for more details about what was going on but I would wait. Maybe I could get some answers from Agent Cullen.

 _Yeah right._

"Okay."

" _And Bells?"_ Charlie asked.

"Yeah?"

" _Sit tight, it's going to be a long ride."_

My father chuckled amusedly before hanging up.

I sighed and lowered the phone from my ear.

 _How wonderful._

 **-x.X.x-**

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 **Follow/favourite/review? I'll love you forever.**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing except for the plot.**

 **A warm thanks to supernaturalcreatures-arehot, cullenmeadow and queen cullen0527 for your reviews! You guys rock.**

* * *

 **UNRAVEL**

 **-x.X.x-**

 **Chapter 3:**

I didn't know I had fallen asleep until I felt Agent Cullen shake my arm lightly to wake me.

"Bella, wake up, we're in Port Angeles." He said in a low voice.

I rubbed my eyes wearily and blinked, squinting in the darkness. We were parked at a quaint little Italian restaurant called La Bella Italia.

"What are we doing here?" I asked groggily, stretching out my arms and back.

"Your stomach was grumbling so loudly I'm pretty sure the people in the next town could hear it." He responded, getting out of the car. I blushed deeply. _Well that's not embarrassing at all._

"How long were we driving for?" I mumbled inquiringly. I ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to tame it a little.

"Over two hours." Agent Cullen answered, getting out of the car.

Before I could open my car door he was already there, opening it for me.

I lazily stepped out of the car and followed him towards the restaurant.

"We're just wasting time." I told him, pulling the sleeves of my navy shirt down to protect my arms from the slightly cool breeze outside. It was only the end of August but the air here already held the crispness of fall.

Agent Cullen simply opened the restaurant door for me wordlessly.

As soon as I was inside, warmth washed over me, followed by the most appetizing aromas my nose ever had the pleasure of smelling.

I was suddenly ravenous, made apparent by the monstrous rumbling that came from my stomach.

Agent Cullen actually cracked a small lopsided smile.

 _Ugh_.

That was the first time I had seen him smile. It was both disorienting and disconcerting. Disorienting in that his smile was ineffably beautiful and lit up his entire perfect face, and disconcerting in that it was able to turn my stomach into knots within mere seconds.

A hostess came to seat us shortly, effectively putting an end to my fixation on Agent Cullen's smile. She was tall, with poorly dyed blonde hair, electric blue eyes – and she was shamelessly attempting to flirt with Agent Cullen.

Agent Cullen, however, was hardly playing attention to her. He placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me closer to him. My heart jumped at the contact. I looked up at him, confused.

Had he had some sort of epiphany while I was asleep? He was touching me, smiling, actually saying _more_ than just a couple words. Maybe he just wanted to make a better impression on me so that I wouldn't badmouth him to Charlie.

Well _that_ would take a lot more niceties.

And touching.

"Could you seat us somewhere a little private?" Agent Cullen asked the hostess, smoothly handing her a tip. The move seemed natural, as though he did it all the time.

She smiled at him suggestively and led us to a private booth in the back, sashaying her hips excessively as she walked.

As Agent Cullen and I followed her, I was very aware of the warm hand that was _still_ caressing the small of my back.

Agent Cullen and I sat down across from each other in the booth. The seats were really plush. Curiously, I took a look at the rest of the place. The tables had checkered red and white tablecloths, and the lighting was dim but not dark. Candles graced the tabletops, providing the place with a warm glow. Light music played in the background, contributing to the relaxed style of the place. The romantic atmosphere, however, was a little unsettling.

My eyes accidentally met Agent Cullen's from across the table. I looked away quickly.

This was as close as I had ever come to being on a date. The booth was incredibly private, and much too intimate for my liking. It was going to make for one uncomfortable dinner.

"Your waitress will be with you shortly." The hostess said, setting down menus on the table. "Is there anything else I can get you?" She asked us. Or rather, asked Agent Cullen.

I rolled my eyes.

"That should be all." He replied politely, hardly looking at her.

He was staring at me, observing my reactions to my surroundings.

I fidgeted with my hands, nervous. Why did his gaze have to be so intense? I felt like he was staring into my soul, trying to gauge what kind of person I was.

The hostess nodded awkwardly and left, dissatisfied.

Agent Cullen passed me a menu before picking up his own.

A few minutes after the hostess had gone, the waitress approached our table. She was a pretty girl with long auburn hair and dark red lipstick. Surely she would catch Agent Cullen's attention, I thought.

She placed a basket of breadsticks on our table. "Hello. My name's Amanda and I'll be your server this evening." She told us, of course staring mostly at Agent Cullen. I was relieved that she wasn't as ill mannered and flirtatious as the hostess.

"Would you like anything to start?"

Agent Cullen looked at me. I stared back into his green eyes hesitantly.

"Just water for now, thanks." He replied, smiling at her briefly before looking back at me.

The waitress was as stunned by his smile as I had previously been, blinking a few times before going to get our drinks.

 _Poor sucker._

We looked over our menus quietly, listening to the low chatter and soft clinking of glasses and utensils that resonated through the restaurant.

"Have you decided what you'd like to order?" Agent Cullen asked after a few minutes had gone by.

"You're not going to order for me?" I replied sarcastically.

Agent Cullen set down his menu, staring at me straight-faced. Clearly he didn't find my remark very humorous.

 _There's the Agent Cullen I know,_ I thought amusedly.

"Yes, I know what I want." I told him, stacking my menu on top of his.

The waitress attentively came over with two glasses of water.

"So what would you like to order tonight?" She asked Agent Cullen.

He gestured over to me as though she should ask me first.

She begrudgingly turned to me.

"I'll have the mushroom ravioli in cream sauce." I told her tentatively.

"And to drink?"

I glanced at Agent Cullen and back to the waitress. "Coca Cola?"

Agent Cullen smiled at the waitress. "Make that two."

She turned to him. "And for yourself?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm not that hungry." He answered.

"Okay, I'll come back with your order and some more fresh breadsticks. Just let me know if you change your mind." She told him, taking our menus and leaving.

Agent Cullen helped himself to a breadstick, staring at me thoughtfully as he chewed.

I blushed self-consciously. "What?"

"Nothing." He replied.

I scowled.

"You were right about what you said in the car. We didn't get off to a good start." He said after a moment, stunning me into silence.

"Could we start over?" He requested, looking at me from under his lashes.

I gazed into his green eyes, and whatever stubbornness I had left in me evaporated. I nodded mutely; unable to form a coherent sentence, let alone thought.

The waitress arrived with my food and the two Cokes, replacing our barely touched-breadbasket as well. As soon as she set my plate down on the table, the warm aroma wafted up into my face. I was practically drooling.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" She asked Agent Cullen again, smiling at him a little more boldly. I was too enamoured by my food to even care.

He shook his head at her, watching me with an amused smile on his face. "Is everything good?"

I nodded, spearing a piece of ravioli with my fork.

"I guess that's it then, thank you." He told her.

I tentatively took a bite and moaned. It was _really_ good.

Agent Cullen pushed the Coca Cola towards me. "Wasting time, are we?" He asked, entertained.

I cracked a small smile and took a sip of the carbonated drink. "Okay, maybe not."

As I stuffed my face, Agent Cullen absently played with a breadstick.

"So what convinced you to move to Forks?" He suddenly asked.

I took a pause from eating, looking at him perplexedly. "Why?"

"You said you can't stand the rain, and yet it's no question that Forks has an abundance of it." He stated, raising an eyebrow.

I blushed under the scrutiny of his gaze. "Charlie, mostly. I hardly ever get to see him and I miss him a lot. So when he made the offer I couldn't refuse."

"Mostly?" Agent Cullen inquired. "What else led you to move here?"

"Why do you care?"

Agent Cullen smiled lightly. "I'm just trying to figure you out."

"Well can't I ask _you_ a few questions then?" I asked him. "That's terribly one-sided and you're an incredibly confusing person."

"Not until you answer mine." He replied.

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh of resignation. "My mother got remarried earlier this summer,"

"And you don't like your stepfather." Agent Cullen said understandingly.

"Actually, Phil's great. He's kind, and he makes my mother incredibly happy…" I trailed off playing with the ravioli on my plate dejectedly. I missed my mother so much and it had only been a _day_ since I last saw her. I wondered if she picked up her shirt from the dry cleaners like I'd reminded her to.

"Bella?" Agent Cullen reached across the table and gently touched my hand. I flinched at the contact; it was like his touch sent a shock of electricity through my body.

He quickly withdrew his hand, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Sorry."

I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry, I got lost in thought." I finished the rest of the Coca Cola.

"Um, right. So my mother got married this summer and I figured that they could use some space, Charlie offered me a room, and everything just worked out. Which is convenient." I explained, smiling at Agent Cullen briefly.

"But now you're unhappy." Agent Cullen murmured, looking into my eyes.

I looked down, taking a bite of ravioli instead of replying.

"Can I ask you some questions now?" I asked him after a few seconds.

"You should finish up your food," he simply replied. "Your father's waiting."

"Not even one?" I asked him incredulously. _And we had been getting along so well._

"One." Agent Cullen conceded.

"No wait, two."

"Fine." He responded, sighing.

"Yay." I said happily. "How old are you?"

"Next." He replied.

I looked at him incredulously. "What? You can't just skip my question."

"You stipulated no such term." Agent Cullen replied smarmily.

I glowered at him. "Fine."

"What's your next question?" He asked impatiently.

I rolled my eyes. "So do you have a first name, or…?"

"I do." He replied.

"Are you going to tell me what it is, or am I going to have to guess?" I asked him cheekily.

"I answered your question, now eat." He instructed me, green eyes twinkling.

I shook my head, realizing my own mistake. "You're insufferable, you know that?"

"Why do you want to know my first name?" He replied, ignoring my outburst.

I shrugged. "Because Agent Cullen is so…formal."

"Formalities are in place for a reason."

Goddamn cryptic agent.

"You're absolutely terrible at making fresh starts." I sighed.

"Finish your food." He simply replied.

"Yes sir." I muttered, stabbing my fork into the ravioli.

 **-x.X.x-**

It was dark outside when we finished up at the restaurant. Agent Cullen paid for the food, despite my protests.

"Okay, your hard-headedness definitely trumps your rudeness. And insufferableness." I told him, shaking my head.

"Is ' _insufferableness'_ even a word?" He asked, opening my car door for me.

"Yes!" I exclaimed exasperatedly, though I wasn't quite sure. I stared up at him, not getting into the car. "You are such a difficult person to get along with."

"I've been told otherwise." Agent Cullen replied stoically.

"Well now _I'm_ telling you otherwise." I replied, climbing into the car as a light drizzle started to fall from the sky. "Whoever led you to believe that you are an agreeable person was lying."

Agent Cullen closed the door behind me.

"And how the hell do you lean this seat back?" I asked him angrily when he got into the car. My back and neck were still stiff from the position I had fallen asleep in.

He reached across me, his arm grazing my abdomen.

My heart leaped into my throat. "What are you doing?"

He pushed an automatic button on the side of my seat, leaning it back into a more comfortable position. "Leaning your seat back." He answered nonchalantly.

His face was extremely close to my own; I could see the hazel flecks in his emerald eyes, feel his sweet breath fanning across my face.

My heart was threatening to beat right out of my chest.

He pulled away from me and buckled his seatbelt, throwing the car into reverse.

"You could've just told me how to do that, you know." I muttered.

"Seatbelt." He simply replied.

I rolled my eyes and buckled in, my erratic heartbeat slowing down.

We drove along in silence. It was so dark outside I could hardly make out the trees of the surrounding forest. The area was too rural for streetlights. The only light was provided by the bright headlights of the car on the road, and the beautiful stars that glittered incandescently against the dark night sky.

"Wow." I breathed quietly. From where I was I could see the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Orion's Belt. The degree of clarity to which one could see the stars from here was surreal.

That was one thing you never really got to experience while living in big cities; it was always too bright and smoggy for one to see pretty much anything except for the moon.

I could feel Agent Cullen's eyes on my face as I gazed at the sky.

"The most beautiful thing about this place is the sky at night." He said quietly.

I murmured my agreement.

"I've never seen them so clearly," I replied, looking over at him. "The stars."

Agent Cullen was staring ahead now, shadows flitting across his face as he drove.

I shook my head; I was at a complete loss with this mercurial man. One minute we were getting along, and the next he was cold and distant. The best thing to do would be to stay out of his way while he dealt with this case alongside my father. Anything otherwise would be much too frustrating.

I leaned my seat back further, my face heating up as I thought about Agent Cullen's hand brushing against my abdomen, and the proximity of his face to mine. I brushed the memory away, angry at the fluttering feeling in my stomach.

Eventually I drifted off, floating in and out of consciousness.

The last thing I remember dreaming was being in Agent Cullen's arms. We were surrounded by darkness. I didn't know where we were going. All I knew was that I had never felt more safe or content in my entire life.

All of the reservation I felt towards him drifted away, and I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, closing my eyes and inhaling his intoxicating scent. As if it were real I could feel his lips brush across my forehead as he laid me down.

I protested, wanting him to stay with me in the darkness. But he was gone.

And I felt his absence deeper than I wanted to.

 **-x.X.x-**

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 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Follow/favourite/review to help keep me inspired. ;)**


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